France Telecom sees turnover fall

French telecommunications giant France Telecom said its turnover for the third quarter of 2009 fell by 6.4%, to €12.686 billion ($18.7 billion), compared to the same period last year. Turnover for the first three quarters of the year was off by 4.3%, compared to 2008, to €38.144 billion, the company said in a press statement. The downturns were partly due to unfavourable rates of exchange with the Polish zloty and the British pound sterling, the company said. While third-quarter earnings were down everywhere but Africa and the Middle East, France Telecom turnover sank particularly in Britain (minus 15.3%) and Poland (off 29.3%). The company said it expects the trend to continue until at least the end of the year. Despite the negative results, France Telecom’s client base was actually up by 6.6%, or 11.7 million customers, on September 30, 2009, over the same date last year.